Meet Tiny and Easter....

These sweet bunnies have come to live with us until Easter, when the Easter Bunny will then take them home with him. He's a smart one, that Easter Bunny.

This experience has been absolutely priceless. Both girls have taken right up with the bunnies. The Bear wants to let them sleep with her and the Bean keeps saying " good kitty". Too funny.


Gracie was with us on the morning that the bunnies came. She came up with the neat idea of doing a scavenger hunt for the girls to find the bunnies. It was so fun watching them run from room to room and then the final room, when they opened that door to the laundry room, oh my. It was too funny. They didn't know what to say. The Bear wanted to know if they were real. The Bean asked if they would bite her. We put an old blanket down and brought them into the living room. Being rather frightened, they didn't go anywhere. The girls brought them colorful balls to play with and laughed at every little move they made. They are so soft and really are quite sweet.

The bunnies are now in a house outside the home.(thank you Uncle Thad and Aunt Ginger). They seem happy and I know that I am. As cute as they are, they are still bunnies and well, we all know what that means.

I have big plans to do some great Easter shots of the girls with their new friends, so hopefully I'll be blogging them soon. Wish me luck. Between the kids and the bunnies, it ought to be interesting.

Easter is on it's way. I know the weather doesn't seem like it, but the new colors and new life coming out of the ground tell us it is so. We are enjoying out of town family next weekend. We can't wait. It will be a busy week, but busy is good and that just means that fun is around the corner.

Happy Week!!

The Bink Mystery..Solved

This is just a short drop by post. But, so worth it. You will love this.

For about a week now, I have been trying to figure out how the Bean is getting her binks. They are on a semi-tall dresser in a basket. NOT easy for her to get to. At first, I thought maybe her sister was helping her out, but she denied having any part of it. But she is still pretty darn cute.

So, the other evening, I heard a crash. The kind that makes a mom go running. Not so bad that I was scared, but more like "i am going to catch a very funny moment". So, I did like any good mom and grabbed my camera. THIS is what I found.
 

 

The crash I heard was toys being dumped out of the toy box bin and as you can see, she was using it to climb on the dresser. I watched and laughed for a few minutes. And as you can also see, I took pictures. Then I remembered it really wasn't a good idea to let your kids climb on their dresser, so I got her down. She was so determined and so proud though. We had the talk about how you don't climb on things becuase you can get hurt and she seemed to get it, but something tells me she will be back at it again.

The things is, I am well aware that we need to start the process of getting rid of the bink. I am just not ready. She is my baby and my last. I don't want her to grow up anymore than she already has. It makes me sad. On the other hand, she is healthy and growing like she should, so I am very Thankful for that. We'll get there, but I think I'll hold on just a little bit longer.

I Play,They Play,We all Play

I have a something new. Something wonderful. Something I never thought I would have. My sweet, sweet husband surprised me with the "ok" to get my new toy. My new Canon 60D. It is in one word, amazing. Just like the subjects it caught over the weekend.

I have found that this slowing down and just enjoying has many benefits. For one, we have more time for this.

And this.

One thing is for sure. They aren't slowing down. A fun afternoon trip to the lake taught me that they can "do it themselves" much more these days. Even if we wanted to help them, we can't. Because they help each other.

I enjoyed catching all of their togetherness and fun. But, their daddy, well, he is enjoying the new toy too. I might add, he is very good at it. Sometimes, I think he is better than me. But, shh. Don't tell him I said that.

They laugh when pushed higher. They scream when their tummy tickles. They talk about the important stuff. You know, what is pink and what is in the sky and how when they get bigger they will push their daughters on the swing. There is no song in the world that can compare to that sound. It is pure music to my ears.

The colors outside are starting to scream spring. I am so glad. We have so much to do outside. So many plans for spring and summer. The girls can't wait to go camping. On our way to the lake yesterday, we saw a few campers. They were basking in the warm sunshine, and oh I wanted to be there. Until night time when the temps drop to 40 degrees. Yeah, that is when I would want to be at home. In due time. Right?

Jumping from one slide to the other, they were almost impossible to keep up with. But that is ok. Even though a very cautious daddy kept telling me to give him the camera so I could stand right behind them. I guess one of us will always hold the camera and one will be right there. That is what we parents do, right?

Ohh, notice the intent in her eyes to head to the water?

We opted to bring out the bikes yesterday afternoon in search of the perfect peddler. It didn't quite turn out the we way we planned. Ten minutes into it, she had fallen over and had her first wreck of the season. That was all she wrote. We have put it up for now and we are thanking our lucky stars we have two big wheels. Looks like they will be getting a lot of use.

notice the monkey  in the back ground. you can't take your eye off that dare devil for a minute.

I know this post is kind of all over the place, but that is just how I feel today. I am kind of all over the place. Trying to settle into another week with a fun weekend in the works. We have company coming to visit in a few weeks. The Bear is so excited and has many activities planned for us all. It is going to be big fun.

With my new toy in tow, I promise to bring more updates to you. Goodness knows the pictures will be coming in hot and heavy. Oh, my new toy also has HD recording. So, as soon as this geek squad mom figures that out, I'll be sharing some video too.

Happy Week out there.

Outside...in February

Today was a great day. We haven't had a family date day in a long time. We attempted our first movie at the Theatre with the Bean. We made it oh maybe 30 minutes. She wanted to carry on a full conversation the whole time and the Bear really wasn't into the movie. So, we left there and headed to the play ground for LOTS of fun. I, not being prepared, didn't take my camera. But that was OK. When we got home, the girls and I headed outside to play on our own playground.

It was so funny to watch them. They haven't been outside to play in such a long time. I don't think they really knew where to start. But, bubbles were a pretty good place.

Can you see the bubble? Too cool.

Olivia's new favorite thing is the swing I believe. I think she would have stayed out there until dark if I would have let her. She laughed harder than I have heard her laugh in a while. It was beautiful.

Sarah was just plain silly. She was in such a good mood and gosh, looking at these pictures I realize just how big she is getting.

And no play day is complete without a game of duck, duck goose. She is fast. I am not.

As I sit here typing, I see really heavy eyes on a little Bean and Bear. I do believe they are feeling their "outside" day. I loved spending time with them and watching their daddy push them on the swing and both of them screaming for more. "Higher Daddy, make my tummy tickle". Yep, it was a great day.

Good Night. 

We Celebrated!!

My mom made the cake. Everyone brought the smiles. We had a wonderful time. The Bean sure did anyway!!

I still can't believe she is two. We had a wonderful evening with friends and family. From Princess gowns to tiaras to bathtub goodies, she racked up. We played hard and enjoyed every bit of the fun.

We have this thing where we all help in blowing out the candles of our little ones on their birthday. It is a celebration for all of us after all.

The Bear had just as much fun. Pink face and all.

They celebrated together. Where there was one, the other was right there with her. Such love and support for each other. That is what makes it good guys. Celebrating Birthdays as a family.

We sang Happy Birthday and her sweet grin told us she was so excited to know that we were here, celebrating this wonderful occasion with her. There will be many more to follow. And I can't wait!!

Happy Birthday Livvy Bean. We love you!!

thank you mom for the pictures

She's Two...

It seems almost impossible. Two years ago we were here.

I still remember it like it was just yesterday. Oh, I miss how she used to move around late at night and be calm during the day. I remember Andy saying that we were in trouble if that was any indication of her sleep patterns. But, that sweet girl, she slept at night. Just like she was supposed to. She is our Bean.

And now we are here. She is two. Two years of pure love and fun. Full of complete. Spending our time as a family of four. She completed the circle.

She is as bright as the sunshine you see in the pictures. Her smile is contagious. Her free spirit reminds me of myself. I can't think of her without smiling. Her love for her family is so true. She can make any moment happy. Sweet Bean, we love you so very much. Happy Birthday!! 

Oh, and I can't leave out the Bear. She is ready to celebrate too. She has taught and loved over the past two years. She has been such a wonderful big sister. Knowing she is on my side each day keeps me going.

Birthday Celebration, you bet. Honestly, there is so much to celebrate. We have wonderful family and friends, good health and so, so much happiness. My cup, well, it is not only half full, it is flowing over the rim.

Stay tuned for Birthday Party pictures!!